♪ it's a long way to heaven ♪ >> whitney houston's and farewell. how they celebrated her life. >> and how the candidates are spending the days between contests. "good morning washington" continues now. >> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> good morning, washington. it's monday, february 20. like we dodged another one outside. i am cynne simpson. >> i am steve chenevey. no major problems except for school delays. culpeper county schools, orange county schools, and spotsylvania county schools in virginia will close two -- will open two hours late. >> watch for possible iic patches, anyone on the boaroads -- icy patches.

adam caskey first period >> a little breezy this morning temperatures in the low to mid 30's. it feels like the 20's on this monday morning when you factor in the wind on this president's day. morningside, 34. 33 in alexandria. fairly similar temperatures out there, low to mid 30's for the most part. 29 in berkeley springs. breezy through lunchtime. 48 today, sunny. barlett cloudy tomorrow with a few isolated sprinkles possible nor trust of the metro area tomorrow afternoon. seven-day forecast coming up. back to you. >> thank you. let's hit the roads and check in with john gonzalez, tracking conditions in virginia in bristol. >> it appears the snow has melted. perhaps some slick spots

because the roads are wet. and it is cold. fortunately, this does not appear to be cold enough to create a lot of problems. it did snow several hours last night in virginia and areas south. it was thick and wet. it turned into water right away. vdot did not take any chances using an abundance of caution. we understand that more than 500 trucks have been valid through the night and morning putting down assault and brian mix on the road, making sure that nothing refreeze as. -- salt and brine mix. helping matters is there's not a lot of traffic. back to you. >> thank you. let's see what's happening in traffic. >> what we see is a lot of white

stripes on the highway. no problems or accidents reported around the beltway. light volume on this president's day paranormal troubled times south into richmond, north into baltimore on 66. this is 270 near 370 a smoother ride in frederick. back to you. >> thank you. people in central and southern virginia are not the only ones cleaning up from yesterday's storm. several inches of snow fell in kentucky and tennessee, north carolina, and west virginia. it's blamed for numerous accidents and power outages all across the region. find out more about the storm get forecasts any time as well by going to our website wjla.com. >> two days after crest until the passenger, investigators are still looking for the driver who fled the scene. early saturday along suitland road and hilmar drive.

the driver lost control of the car, car flipped over. the victim has been identified as 19-year-old tyesha williams. more on robberies in the district. that makes about two dozen robberies in the was the scene since last monday. the latest was this morning satat 21st street and n. many of the crimes have been armed robbers. early as today morning there was a mugging at 15th street at u. saturday night someone was robbed at 17th and r. >> a close call over california. a small plane and helicopter collided late last night in mid- air. both managed to crash land safely between oakland and sacramento. both pilots suffered minor injuries and are expected to be ok. no word on what caused the collision. new details from the deadly weekend on the slopes in

washington state's cascade mountains. two of the three skiers killed in an avalanche spoken about on espn. the region has been hit with heavy snow on the weekends and avalanche warnings were posted. >> new this morning, a team of united nations nuclear inspectors has arrived in iran for what are expected to be key talks about their nuclear program. it comes after iran announced it was halting oil shipments to britain and france in response to your opinion in sanctions targeting iranian oil. we are feeling the impact of those rising oil prices every time we go to the gas spot. >> the national average right now is $3.56 for regular. that is 40 cents higher than a year ago. experts say burris yourselves because it could get worse. brianne carter is live in the

west following this and joins us with details. good morning. >> getting worse already in georgetown. $3.95 for regular. that is much tighter than the national average, even the average in the washington region. a lot of people say that before we could see any easing, it could get much worse. for the price of gas going up, drivers continued to feel added pain upon. >> it will continue. >> the the national average for gallaa gallon of gas is $3.56. higher than last year. it may only get worse. it could be $4 by the end of april. the costs have many cutting back. >> we used to go visit my parents all the time on the weekends. we cannot afford to do it anymore.

>> searching for savings drivers flocked to this waldorf, maryland, sam's club to get some of the cheapest gas in the region. >> this is considered cheap right now. >> i come all the way from upper marlboro, maryland. >> talking about $4 a gallon. could we have $5 a gallon? by the pick of the travel season this summer, that's possible. this is also a hot button issue on both sides of the aisle with this being an election year. brianne carter, abc 7 news. >> thank you. metro riders should expect delays getting around today because of holiday weekend track work. orange line trains between rosslyn and virginia square will not be running. red line trains between medical center and white flint not running. saturday schedule for everyone else. the work continues until closing tonight. >> monday morning, below

freezing in potomac, 30 degrees. >> still ahead, jeremy lin response to allegations of racism at espn with another big day on the court. correct a sure-fire way to end up with a ticket courtesy of metro's in transit police. what you want to make sure you do not get caught doing. >> and we will have a taste of spring before this week is

>> i am amy rutherford, the owner of red barn mercantile in old town alexandria. this is the web site to learn more about products and

promotions in old town, alexandria. good morning washington. >> very good monday morning on this president's day. 6:11. adam caskey in the belfort furniture weather center. let's jump into the forecast. we got clipped by snow mainly to the south of the metro. about 2.5 inches. 35 in the district, 32 in frederick and martinsburg. there's a northerly wind this morning. so it feels like we are in the '20s. feels like 23 in gaithersburg and 26 in the district when you factor in the wind. looking back a thermometer subtract about five or 10 degrees and that's how it feels outside. the wind will subside this afternoon and we will have sunshine, highs in the upper 40's. that is where we should be this time of year. tomorrow 52, a chance of an isolated sprinkle northwest of the metro, mainly the potomac

highlands. loudoun and frederick county could have a few drops tomorrow afternoon with trace accumulations. a taste of spring by thursday and friday, well into the 60s by then. we have a chance of rain with the warmer air that will move into town. best chance of rain will be friday and starting on thursday. >> traffic is increasing, but we anticipate light volume for the morning rush hour on this federal holiday. newschopper 7 is looking at traffic in bethesda over 270 where it merges with the beltway, emerging towards old georgetown road towards navy medical, looking good. 27 sao0 of democracy boulevard and across the american legion bridge, no problems. the will of a look at va if in less than 10 minutes. >> if you would like to avoid getting a ticket while riding on

metro, don't drink. 97% of the hundred tickets written by transit police last year were for drinking and driving. -- and riding. >> two movies battling for the weekend box office crown. >> and what santorum said that has the white house up in arms. weight loss programs can be expensive. . so to save some money, i just got the popular girls from the local middle school to follow me around. ew. seriously? so gross. ew. seriously? that is so gross. ew. seriously? dude that is so totally gross. so gross...i know. there's an easier way to save. geico. fifteen minutes could save

you fifteen percent or more. >> now to the death of whitney houston. the singer was laid to rest yesterday a day after a star- studded celebration of her life. >> ♪ it's a long road to heaven ♪ >> she was buried at a cemetery in westfield, new jersey next to her father john huston, who died

in 2003. >> everyone in heaven including god is waiting. >> her ex-husband bobby brown abruptly left. he said it was over conflict about seating arrangements. huston died a week ago saturday. no cause of death has been determined. >> turning to the 2012 campaign. a battle brewing between the obama campaign and republican presidential candidate rick santorum. this comes after the former pennsylvania senator told an ohio audience the president goes the agenda is based on "some phony ideals, phony theology, not a theology based on the bible." the obama campaign said it was over the line, but rick santorum said he was criticizing the president's policy and not his religion. >> it is wrong destructive

makes it virtually impossible to solve the problems that we all face as americans. >> i do accept the fact that the president is a christian. >> his comments may be assigned obama campaign is taking rick santorum seriously. -- maybe aattention to the comments could be a sign. >> the virginia house approved same-sex marriage last week. investigators say that amine el khalifi wanted to detonate an explosive device inside the u.s. capitol building. he was arrested on friday. >> making news in america's money, soaring oil prices and a box office draw. >> rob nelson has those stories

and more. >> soaring oil prices. it was $105 a barrel last night partly because it runs as it will no longer export oil to britain and france, payback for sanctions imposed over its nuclear program. china will now allow more films from the u.s. and other countries as long as they are greedy or imax. that-- 3d or imax. preliminary figures show a safe house edging out the vow in the box office but it is still) george washington was worth half a billion dollars. thomas jefferson second with $200 million. mitt romney would only ranks second or third, if elected. >> time for a check of traffic

and weather every ten minutes. >> let's start with lisa baden to get a look at what's happening on the roads. >> not much happening. 95 in virginia, it is very clear. 95 between richmond and springfield, in good shape on 395 as well. looks good on 395 in maryland. in virginia, 95 in springfield hov rules are relaxed for everyone except for 50 the john hanson highway. marc rail and drv, no service today -- and vre. >> we barely got hit by the storm system. some measurable amounts south of the metro. i will break it down right now. we will see where. 0.4 inches at mount vernon. la plata, half an inch.

1.5 inches in fredericksburg. south and west of washington, a higher the accumulations. there was a trace at reagan national. charlottesville four inches. stockton virginia, 6.5 inches of snow from this system. -- staunton. lexington park, 37 degrees right now. as the freezing mark in frederick. there's a breeze out of the north, gusting in excess of 20 miles an hour at times steady at 15. a little reason this morning which makes it feel lot colder than it is. it feels like we are in the '20s although it is in the 30's. the wind chill in hagerstown, 22. feels like 27 in lexington park. we still have cloud lingering on the backside of the storm system which has moved offshore. we are still close enough to the

storm to get gusty winds out of the north through the morning and then it will subside this afternoon. the back edge of the cloud deck is moving into the potomac when that will move through our region. around and after sunrise we will see a clearing in the metro area. a high-pressure will diminish the winds later on today and bring sunshine. the area of low pressure developing in the rockies will clip us by tomorrow afternoon and evening. it's enough to warrant an isolated sprinkle chance mainly northwest of the metro area tomorrow afternoon and evening. but it will not be a bad day tomorrow. breeze through lunchtime. sunny and 48 this afternoon. that's average for this time of year. the potomac highlands could have a sprinkle late in the day tomorrow and maybe frederick loudoun county, and the panhandle of west virginia tomorrow afternoon. better chance of rain by friday. much warmer air along with that. a taste of spring.

we are talking 60's by thursday and friday. back to you. >> thank you. we look forward to the warmer temperatures. >> all over the place right now. coming up, jeremy lin lets his game's big for him in another big way yesterday. how he responded to raise as racist comments. >> next "anderson" -- janet jackson. you might be a judge on the x factor.

>> espn has apologized and i don't think it was on purpose or whatever but they have apologized. so i don't care anymore. >> jeremy lin as saying that he forgives espn for an offensive deadline that espn will about the team's lost to the new orleans hornets on friday. >> the best revenge was on the court on sunday. he was sensational getting 28 points, a career high 14 assists. he brought the knicks beyond to victory against the dallas mavericks. >> howand the smells of spring

training. >> that gets underway today in florida. >> steven strasburg says that he's ready to go again after elbow surgery. he leads an improved pitching staff. we hope so. 6:25 on this monday morning. still another 30 minutes a day. >> federal regulators want a closer look at the latest caffeine craze. >> and we are following the latest in the uva murder trial. coming up after the break we will let you know when the jury might have a verdict for george huguely. >> we got clipped by a little snowfall yesterday. some measurable amounts south of the metro. but high-pressure today

>> live and in hd, this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> straight ahead, --

>> it's ok when it's coming down, but the aftermath. >> mother nature's wrath fares the metro region once again. good morning, washington. it's monday morning, february 20. i'm steve chenevey. >> i am cynne simpson. no major problems, but we do have a few school delays. in virginia, culpeper, warned, and spotsylvania county schools are opening two hours late this morning. >> anybody on the road will still want to watch for icy spots. lisa baden will have more on that in a moment. but we start with adam caskey for pretty decent forecast/ >> mostly sunny through the day. temperatures on par for this time of year, pretty much average later this afternoon. 30 in leesburg, 27 in berkeley springs, at the freezing mark in arlington, la plata, helen, and remington. there's a northerly breeze. temperatures are little deceiving. we are in the low to mid 30's,

but it feels like the 20's when you factor in the northerly wind. it will be breezy through lunchtime and then it will subside as high-pressure settles in this afternoon. or va today for the high temperature with bright sunshine. going into tomorrow, added cloud cover by the afternoon with a chance of a few sprinkles. now to lisa baden. >> looking at the commute in tysons corner. >> perhaps some slick spots out here, because the roads are still very wet and it is cold, but it does not appear cold enough to create any major problems. did snow last night in bristow several hours and places to the south, a reminder that winter is still here. wet snowflakes came down for hours in central virginia on sunday night >> . it's ok when it's coming down, but it's the aftermath.

>> every storm for the region this winter. our first snowfall this year. >> some people were worried about driving in this today. >> just because you have four- wheel drive does not mean you are invincible. it can happen to anybody. if >> from unseasonably balmy conditions, many roads did not freeze but it was difficult in other spots. >> you can get around if you take your time. >> 500 pieces of equipment at the disposal of vdot in central virginia. >> i am from california and this is my first time driving in the snow. >> you have to be careful when the temperature drops. it will be kind of slippery. >> vdot has trucks ready with the a salt mixture just in case. helping matters is there's not a

lot of traffic. john gonzalez, abc 7 news reporting. >> not a lot of traffic means we have light volume. traffic moving at speed. working in our favor is 95 between richmond and baltimore. good on the beltway if at the american legion bridge and at the wilson bridge. looks good in the district. no marc rail service or the are reservists. metro will will continue working on the bed and orange lines. -- no marc rail service or vre service. -- red and orange lines, metro will work continuing >> . several inches of snow fell in kentucky tennessee, north carolina, and west virginia, leading to accidents and power outages across the region. we will have much more of a winter storm and you can find

the forecast on wjla.com. >> two days after crest until the passenger, investigators still looking for the driver who fled the scene. the crash happened early saturday if along suitland road and hil-mar drive. the driver lost control of the car and it flipped over. the victim has been identified as tyesha williams, age 19. two dozen robberies reported in always d.c. over the past week despite stepped-up police patrols. the latest happened this morning st 21st and m streets. the victim was not injured, but many of the crimes have been armed robbers. -- 21st and n. there was a mugging near george washington university. on saturday night someone was robbed at 17th street and r. >> nato says three italian soldiers died in a car accident in western afghanistan. afghan officials say the soldiers were in a convoy on the way to a survey canal project

when the vehicle crashed into a stream. a police officer also died when a suicide car bomber attacked a police station in southern afghanistan. gas prices up 18 cents over the past month, mostly because of tension in the middle east. experts predict gas prices could reach $5 a gallon by memorial day. right now the national average price of a gallon of regular gas is $3.67. in d.c., $3.77. $3.62 in maryland. in virginia, $3.54. >> metro riders should expect a is getting around today because of all holiday weekend track work. there's no orange line service between rosslyn and virginia square today. red line trains are not running between medical center and white flint. every where else, the trains are running on a saturday schedule. the work continues until closing tonight. >> it could be a crucial week in the uva murder trial. >> a jury got the case against

george huguely on saturday. this after a marathon testimony. it could be days before we have a verdict. jummy olabanji is live in a satellite center with the latest this morning >> . good morning. court resumes again wednesday morning at 9:00. that is because today is obviously a federal holiday. tomorrow was scheduled as a grand jury day. there was plenty of testimony on saturday. the jury sat through nearly 10 hours of closing arguments from the prosecution and from the defense. prosecutors insisted that the defendant george huguely killed his girlfriend yeardley love in a drunken rage. they told the jury that love never had a chance. the defense admitted that george huguely was "stupid drunkard's that night as he contributed to her death but did not intend to harm her."' prosecutors said that his acts were not accidental and that is being drawn was no excuse for

murder. but defense attorneys told the jury that if there's any doubt in their mind, they should find him guilty of involuntary manslaughter if only. he is charged with first-degree murder, but the jury has also been given the option of second- degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, and involuntary manslaughter. they could find him not guilty of any wrongdoing as well. court begins at 9:00 on wednesday morning. jummy olabanji reporting, abc 7 news. >> thanks so much. 6:36 right now, 31 degrees in woodbrige. >> saying goodbye to the singer whose voice helped define a generation. >> 50 years of space flight. how the nation will mark a milestone in exploration. >>

consumers today have a legitimate concern about the chicken they eat. they want to know more about how they were raised what they were fed. we spend a lot of time on the feed because a chicken is what it eats. [ jim ] this seal verifies we feed my fresh all-natural l ickens an all-vegetarian diet including corn, soybeans, and marigolds. we actually ask the usda to come check us. we have never fed steroids or hormones and never will. no blood meal, no meat and bone meal. yuck. no animal by-products. it means when you put my chicken on the table, you know where it came from.

captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- >> good morning and welcome back. 6:39 on monday, perry 20. an accident on the baltimore- washington parkway. somebody just rolled over between 175 and route 32. -- february 20.

lighter volume of traffic on this president's day. newschopper 7, looking at traffic leaving the dulles toll road through tysons on the beltway, heading over to the falls church metro and dunn loring metro, looks good on 66. no worries on the beltway at 66. we will have an update from newschopper 7 in less than 10 minutes. back to you. >> thank you. 6:40. time to check with doug hill. good morning. >> good morning. many of you waking up a little look of winter. everybody's waking up to the feel of winter. thankful that i have four-wheel drive. let's check out the numbers. around freezing in many areas. 35 degrees in the district, 30 in gaithersburg, 35 in fredericksburg. the storm from yesterday moving out, taking rain across the ocean. lingering snowfall in the

northeast will be gone. skies will clear as we go through the day. breezy at times. some snowfall totals around the area, a trace in washington yesterday. charlottesville, four inches. 6.5 in staunton. a half inch in la plata. 1.5 in fredericksburg. as far as today, the sunshine will come through and we will have a breeze out of the north at times. temperatures will climb to the upper 40's. the average is 48. very pleasant tomorrow, partly cloudy, low 50's. if a disturbance could give us a few sprinkles and west of washington. near 60 with sunshine on wednesday. mid 60's on thursday and friday. chance of showers and a better chance on friday. cooling off on the weekend. back to you. >> thank you. we will see you in a few

minutes. today marks the anniversary of a major milestone in american space flight. 50 years ago that john glenn became the first american to orbit. in the friendship 7 spacecraft. he made three trips around the earth during a five-hour flight. former astronaut and ohio senator joined other nasa veterans in florida this past weekend for events marking the anniversary. looking good. 6:42, 31 degrees in woodbrige right now. >> coming up, a jolt of caffeine at the touch of a button. federal regulators are putting the new inhaler under the microscope. >> celebrities say goodbye to whitney

>> coming up tonight at 5:00 have you tried every diet in the

world too little success? this evening, why the dash diet has been called the number one died in the country and why many people say this one really works. tonight at 5:00. >> whitney houston was laid to rest yesterday, one day after a star-studded celebration of her life. >> she was buried next to her father john huston, who died in 1993. >> everyone in heaven including god is waiting and i know that you will raise the roof like no one else. >> there were some tense moments during the saturday service when her ex-husband bobby brown left abruptly. he said it was over conflict about seating arrangements. whitney houston died a week ago

saturday. no cause of death. is death >> comedian stephen colbert expected to return to his comedy central show today. the colbert report abruptly halted production last week because his 91-year-old mother was ill. he sent out a tweet spanking fans for their thoughts and paris. he's expected to talk about the situation on tonight's broadcast. -- thanking fans. a maryland state senate committee could vote as soon as tomorrow on same-sex marriage. if it passes it will go to put full senate floor. the house approved it last week. >> the man at the center of an alleged bomb plot targeting congress will be back in court for a bond hearing. he wanted to detonate explosive devices inside the u.s. capitol. he was arrested on friday. the accord is also investigating the death of a woman whose body was found in the canal in georgetown. police were called to the canal near 30 extreme north and west on saturday morning where they

found the body. an autopsy is being conducted to determine how the woman died. still no word this morning on her identity. >> of 13-year-old smartsville maryland, boy killed on saturday after falling from a car had been drinking four loko. the woman says her son michael became so sick after drinking alcoholic energy drink that he had to go up. she said he opened the car door while the vehicle was still moving and then sell out. he was struck and killed by an oncoming car. >> 7 is on your side with concerns about its inhalable caffeine. the fda plans to look into whether it is safe. each cannister contains the same amount of caffeine as a large cup of coffee. new york senator chuck schumer wants it taken off the market because he says it could be dangerous to children. its inventor says it's no more dangerous than drinking coffee. >> time now for a look at traffic and weather every ten minutes. doug hill in a moment.

first, lisa baden. >> a quiet drive on the beltway. hov is relaxed today except for the john hanson highway. there's no marc rail service or vre. and they're working on the red line and orange lines for metro rail. somebody rolled over south on the baltimore-washington parkway. that is temporarily closed between 175 and 32. coming toward laurel. we will give you the green light on the other side of town. 270 and 66. looks good on the dulles greenway, the toll road. a live picture in virginia headlights are northbound on 95. that all looks good through springfield. back to you. >> thank you. now we want to go to doug hill for a look at the forecast. >> hello again. things looking good out there on president's day on this monday morning. five minutes away from sunrise.

in arlington, looking around a city this morning, still cloudy in the wake of the storm yesterday. skies will turn partly sunny. timber trees around the region, 30 or 32 degrees north and west of town. warmer to the south and east, 37 in lexington park, 33 at dulles. 35 in the nation's capital. there's a breeze out there. the wind chill is affecting things. it will be breezy through the midday. that will settle down this afternoon. it feels like winter even if you don't have the look of winter at the moment. it feels like 22 degrees in hagerstown. feels like 27 in fredericksburg. the storm moving to the east and northeast. high-pressure building today will clear skies really quickly later this morning. temperatures will be average. tomorrow we may have a few sprinkles now and west of the

city, but that's about all. a different kind of system later this week. tempered dressed today in the upper 40's, lows in the twenties tonight. tomorrow will be partly cloudy and warmer. adam caskey will have a seven- day outlook coming up in a couple minutes. that's the latest. >> thanks very much. in politics, a game change controversy. former vice-presidential candidate now protesting a new hbo movie based on his 2008 campaign. >> mike allen is here with us for more on the story. it seems to depict sarah palin as the fiery personality and calls herself a puppet where people told her what to wear and how to present herself. >> if that is fact. she does not like to be reminded of embarrassing or unpleasant moments from the campaign. the movie comes to hbo on march 10. it is different from the best-

selling book would cover the whole campaign. the hbo movie is just about the john mccain's campaign. we start with the 60 days of the election campaign. governor sarah palin said on our website, there they go again, and said that it is sensationalized and distorted. she put up some pictures that showed her in a softer light. we spoke with the filmmakers. they said they did not want this to be seen as a hit on governor pailin they want this to be seen as a fair portrayal. we see her electrifying crowds and her touching connection with children and families. whether you like governor sarah palin or not, there's something for you in the movie. >> doesn't have any effect

because of the timing on what's happening with the gop right now? >> the republican party does not have a face right now. there's a vacuum. most republicans don't want that face to be governor pailin but it is an opportunity former, a chance to galvanize her supporters. game change is not a documentary, so we do seem words coming out of the characters mousths that were in the book. they found some stuff that the authors of the book did not have an did verify. governor sarah palin was given a chance to be interviewed and has not. and she is not seen the movie either even though she was given a chance to see it. >> thank you. >> [ female announcer ] this

is not a prescription. this is mary. who thinks it might be time to listen to her heart. so she talked to her walgreens pharmacist who gave her a free blood pressure test and showed her how easy it is to do it herself at home. get a free blood pressure test any day in february at any walgreens armacy or take care clinic location.

and we'll donate $1 to the american heart association as part of the walgreens way to well commitment. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. >> you are watching abc 7's "good morning washington" with cynne simpson and steve chenevey. this is "good morning washington," on your side. >> 6;55. -- 6:55 right now. some changes out there. >> that's true. somebody rolled over on the baltimore-washington parkway southbound.

southbound baltimore-washington parkway is closed between 175 and 32. northbound is open. >> not a bad day. a little breezy this morning. clouds will clear out in a few hours. we will have sunshine and temperatures near average this afternoon, 48 degrees. increasing clouds tomorrow, a chance of an isolated sprinkle especially in afternoon mainly northwest of the metro. predominantly dry until the end of the week where we could have rain. mild temperatures comes along with that. a taste of spring by thursday and friday, in the 60's. it will not feel all that abnormal. cooling off again on the weekend. >> looks like we missed our tents of snow -- chance of snow. >> thanks for watching this morning. good morning america is next.